Other Birds

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Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits—a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy. I was completely blown away with this book. After so many disappointing books, this novel was like a ray of sunshine and I was willing to go wherever it took me.

Other Birds Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary Other Birds Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary

A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. Made famous by Roscoe Avanger’s legendary novel Sweet Mallow, quaint Mallow Island, South Carolina, proves a welcome respite for Zoey Hennessey. With her inattentive father and stepmother’s eagerness to convert her bedroom into a crafting oasis, the 18-year-old decided to leave her home in Tulsa to spend the summer before college at her late mother’s old studio on the island. She hopes that the condo, located at the horseshoe-shaped Dellawisp complex, will unearth memories of Paloma, who died 12 years ago in a car accident. Joining Zoey is her imaginary bird, Pigeon, and when they arrive, Zoey is disappointed to discover few traces of her mother…though her new environment proves anything but lonely. Maintained by the elderly Frasier, who is constantly tailed by turquoise dellawisp birds, the condos house a hodgepodge of colorful neighbors, including the burly redheaded chef Mac; the guarded, henna-covered artist Charlotte; the paper-hoarding busybody Lizbeth and her chain-smoking recluse sister, Lucy. When Lizbeth unexpectedly dies the first night of Zoey’s stay, Frasier asks Zoey to clean out her neighbor’s cluttered home. With Charlotte’s help, Zoey is determined to understand the secrets of this eccentric woman, but she soon realizes that Lizbeth may not be the only Dellawisp resident haunted by the past. Allen weaves together an intriguing mystery, following each resident of Dellawisp as they navigate loss and love and uncover what is true and what is real. Charlotte’s story in particular stands out; once beholden to her parents’ religious cult, she hesitates to trust Zoey’s innocence and Mac’s selflessness. Allen breathes life into her characters, those living and those in between, and fashions a narrative that imparts a powerful belief in everlasting memory: “Stories aren’t fiction. Stories are fabric. They’re the white sheets we drape over our ghosts so we can see them.”Nineteen year old Zoey has just arrived at the apartment complex so that she can inhabit her late mother's studio apartment. Her mother died when she was seven and she's lived a lonely life since that time. Her father is wealthy, wanted little to do with her even though she lived in his home, and neither did the woman he married after Zoey's mom's death. It was as if her dad, stepmother, and her two step siblings were waiting for her to finally move out of their house so they could really be a family without her intrusion in their lives. Zoey has been summoned to the enchanted and unique Mallow Island, just outside of Charleston, after her mother's passing to clean out her things and claim her apartment. When she arrives at the Dellawisp condo, home to the tiny turquoise birds that give it its name, she meets an interesting group of neighbors, from a grieving chef to a sister who loses her sister unexpectedly right when Zoey first settles in, as well as a caretaker named Frasier. All the residents and the manager of the property have hurts and longings that keep them from living their lives fully. They are lonely and sad and try to hide these feelings but instead they wear them like a cloak they can't take off. One resident, an intrusive, angry, bitter lady, dies as soon as Zoey moves in and she can't help being interested in this woman. Frasier asks Zoey to go through her apartment to find some missing papers and to clean the hoarded mess of this woman. Another neighbor, Charlotte, helps Zoey and despite Charlotte's fear of befriending and trusting anyone, these women become close. And there is the big, redheaded chef, Mac, who has his own hurts and secrets. Another resident is Lucy, the dead woman's sister, who is so reclusive that Zoey never sees her because the woman won't leave her apartment during the light of day.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen | Goodreads Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen | Goodreads

This is a beautifully written story with a heartwarming message about love and found family: “If the people around you don’t love you just as you are, find new people. They are out there.” Magical Realism is style of literary fiction and art. It paints a realistic view of the world while also adding magical elements, often blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. Despite including certain magic elements, it is generally considered to be a different genre from fantasy because magical realism uses a substantial amount of realistic detail and employs magical elements to make a point about reality, while fantasy stories are often separated from reality. (Wikipedia) I might have passed up this book if it wasn’t for my friend Diane’s wonderful review. Thanks, Diane. I was completely entranced by this story, and can't wait to read more books by this author. I enjoyed every minute I spent on Mallow Island with this colourful band of misfit characters. I hope we get to hear about them in future publications by this author - they have become old friends!Mac, a talented chef, still finds himself covered in corn flour in the morning when he gets visits from the woman he owes everything good in his life. He still holds onto her, resisting to let her go.

Other Birds: A Novel: Allen, Sarah Addison: 9781250019868

Between the real and the imaginary there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways." There is so many things that I loved about this book. There are some surprises in this book. I loved the magical realism. I loved the characters too, especially Zoey. The writing was beautiful.And that brings me to another theme of the book that I appreciated–letting go. Whether it’s holding a bit less tightly to the memory of a loved one, or leaving emotional or physical trauma in the past, letting go is sometimes the healthiest choice we can make for ourselves. The author doesn’t imply that it’s easy–one character has seen a therapist for years. Another becomes more and more lost as she doesn’t seek the help she needs. But the message that it’s okay and even necessary to move on shines through. Made famous by Roscoe Avanger’s legendary novel Sweet Mallow, quaint Mallow Island, South Carolina, proves a welcome respite for Zoey Hennessey. With her inattentive father and stepmother’s eagerness to convert her bedroom into a crafting oasis, the 18-year-old decided to leave her home in Tulsa to spend the summer before college at her late mother’s old studio on the island. She hopes that the condo, located at the horseshoe-shaped Dellawisp complex, will unearth memories of Paloma, who died 12 years ago in a car accident. Joining Zoey is her imaginary bird, Pigeon, and when they arrive, Zoey is disappointed to discover few traces of her mother…though her new environment proves anything but lonely. Maintained by the elderly Frasier, who is constantly tailed by turquoise dellawisp birds, the condos house a hodgepodge of colorful neighbors, including the burly redheaded chef Mac; the guarded, henna-covered artist Charlotte; the paper-hoarding busybody Lizbeth and her chain-smoking recluse sister, Lucy. When Lizbeth unexpectedly dies the first night of Zoey’s stay, Frasier asks Zoey to clean out her neighbor’s cluttered home. With Charlotte’s help, Zoey is determined to understand the secrets of this eccentric woman, but she soon realizes that Lizbeth may not be the only Dellawisp resident haunted by the past. Allen weaves together an intriguing mystery, following each resident of Dellawisp as they navigate loss and love and uncover what is true and what is real. Charlotte’s story in particular stands out; once beholden to her parents’ religious cult, she hesitates to trust Zoey’s innocence and Mac’s selflessness. Allen breathes life into her characters, those living and those in between, and fashions a narrative that imparts a powerful belief in everlasting memory:“Stories aren’t fiction. Stories are fabric. They’re the white sheets we drape over our ghosts so we can see them.” Oliver Lime has done his best to get as far away from his mother, Lizbeth, as possible. But when she dies, he is dragged into dealing with what she left behind.

Other Birds: A Novel - Sarah Addison Allen - Google Books

Foster, Mary (March 14, 2010). "Review: 'Chased the Moon' offers light reading". UT San Diego . Retrieved 3 November 2013. Glendy Vanderah, best-selling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars and The Light Through the Leaves I love all of Sarah’s book with their Practical Magic like magic. I’ve read her first four books multiple times and this one will probably be added. This one hit close to home with the grief aspects.Sarah Addison Allen and the worlds she creates are always so warm and welcoming, and Other Birds was no different. I always love the sense of family you feel in her books, whether it's found family or the one you're born into. Other Birds is set on an island near Charleston, SC, and reading this book during the summer was the perfect time to read it and imagine life on a coastal island.